Automatic shakeout device for tight flask molds



June. 10, 1952 A. c. CHRISTENSEN ,6

AUTOMATIC SHAKEQUT DEVICE FOR TIGHT FLASK MOLDS Filed Aug. 51, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 OOOQOGGOQQQOOGOO QGQOOOOOOOOOQQOQO OOQOOGQOOOQQOQQQO QQQQQ ooeeaoeooe zzvmvrm e/Zyred 67012231313612.9912

June 0, 1952 A. c. CHRISTENSEN 2,600,206

AUTOMATIC SHAKEOUT DEVICE FOR TIGHT FLASK MOLDS Filed Aug. 51, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 10, 1952 A. c. CHRISTENSEN AUTOMATIC SHAKEOUT DEVICE FOR TIGHT FLASK MOLDS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 31, 1948 INVENTOR. flljred QU/zrwfimam BY $5 20; /ZZZGQZ :55

vJune 1952 A. c. CHRISTENSEN 2,600,205

AUTOMATIC SHAKEOUT DEVICE FOR TIGHT FLASK MOLDS v Filed Aug. 51, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. fifred d kczlstemm Patented June 10, 1952 STATES- PATENT OFFICE w en AUTOMATIC SHAKEOUT nEvIonro t Tron]? '1 This invention relates to. foundry. equipment, orejp rticmany, this inventiofi'has todo' With an improvedfdevice for. the sand; and. the solidifie'. castingfrom/alight flask mold and 'further' contemplates the. 'deliv} ery of. the. sandjand. the. casting-ma screen member for separationof thefloos'efsand fromfthe casting and the. subsequent. deliver'yjof, each to a separate 'conveyoii'fori reinotalfrbm the mold-- ingarea."

'Heretofore, the above-mentioned operations.

have been performed manu'allyi'iiidisconnected operations. with resulting expenditurehfmnch man. power. In a large foundry'ffth'e. automatic carrying out ofv these "steps. will be; of a" great asset tome molding procedure.

It. is, therefore, an important. object of. the present invention. to. providel'ma'ns forautoinaticall'y. removing. the sand andthe solidified castingffromatight flask inold.

Another object of" the. present invention is to provide means forautomatically removing the. sand. and. solidified, casting, separating the sand from theca'stingand. deliveringf'these. to. Separate. conveyors. i According to. the, teaching. of the. present in.- vention thereis provided a. substantially horizon.- tal conveyor on'which the assembledjmold. includ: ing. the. bottoin board, the. cope; thefdlfelg, the sandfmold and the casting therein are. carried, along. "As the mold. travels along'on the can: veyor, the arm or handle extending. outwardly from either side of the. drag. passes ovena pair of; chains. one. on either. side. of the conveyor, which are travelingin the same direction as the n ent b t re mo in p a dly a an a thereto. Ifhe chains. lift the cope and. drag. and contents on the. bottom board which remains on e. onv or- W e e flask a its co t nt re. evat d approxim t y. two. t. th ass throu a s ake ut station where ne i e oke f: e lv n w eel enters t ask an us es the a d. and. cas ng dow w r ly o of the flask into. a. chute which. is. disposed in the spacebetween theloottomv board on the. conveyor and the. shakeout station. The chute. directs the sand and the casting to an inclinedv screening member where the." sand is screened ofi into. a hopperleacling to. a conveyor while. the. casting moves along to the end of the inclinedsu'rface where it drops onto another conveyoia The. cope and drag,

are then carried bythe chains and. returned to the first conveyor and the bottom boards thereon.

Other and further, objectsffe'atures and advantages of the present inventionwill be 'apparton'iatically,v removingi ent to one shilledin the" art from the following ai edf es f i i ak n con emn wit it cc m an i Wii eiS-I Onthe dravving'si Figure 1 is. a plan view of the, novel shakeout device of the present invention shown incorporatedin a foundry production lin'ef;

Fi ure 2 isa vertical secti fialview taken sub stantially on line I I'II'o f F igure"1";"

' Figu e 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line III'IlI of Figure; 1;

Figure is an" enlarged vertical sectional view o abortion ofFigure'iif Figure. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken. on lineVfVbi Figure 2';' Figure. 6 is an'enlarged fragmentary new: tional view, with parts'in section, "of a second embodiment. of the shalgeout device of the present invention; and F ure an. enlar e eret qnal vi ith parts. in section, of a third emhodiiiientof the shakeout device of the pres'enfiinverition. As shown onthe.v drawings It isbelievedthat novel process of ejecting sand and casting from a' flash "type mo agw n be best understood from a description of adapted to practice the same.

In Figures 1, 2 and 3" the. reference numeral lfiis a conveyor, the'jconveying surface of. which travels in a. substantially h' or'zionta l; plane. This n or m e. o an Standard. one uch as the conveyor illustrated in Figures 1 and 4 where;- in a. plurality of, elongated trays [2, having overlapping end portiorrs", ar'e'l nivotally. mounted on carriages each of; Whiflhfhas a downwardly extending yokeportion. Iii, carrying an axle 1 5 on which a Wheel L6 is. rotatably. joulhaled. The wheel is arranged. to move along, a. track Ii; secured to a supporting base [8. Boilers I}! are associated with each carriage] [3. for guided evemen bet een ane e'm m er 0 ec re I o.

the upper portion of the Base, [8 'lghis type. of. conveyor, which is" described in. detail. inthe patent issued to A, C. ChristensenfetfaLfU. S. a n N 168, 9.11 pe mi f d t e 1 veyed in a circuitous route throi'ig h various processing stages in the foundry.

In Figure 2 a straight DQrtion of the mold conveyor I0. is illustrated. 0n eitherf side of this convey r nd s bs nt ll ara le r t endless chain 23 is mounted. Each of these. chains is engaged, as shown at the. extreme left endv of. Figure 2, by, a sprocket 2.4 which is secured to a shaft 25'J'Qll11na1ed in bearings 25 mounted on rigid. support blocks 21. At the ex;

treme right end of Figure 2 each chain is engaged around a sprocket 29 which is keyed or otherwise secured to an axle 30 journaled in bearing 3! on a support platform 32 of a frame structure 33. The shaft 30 is driven by a pair of gears 35 secured thereto at the side of the conveyor (Figure 2) and are in mesh with gears 36 mounted thereabove on a shaft 48 journaled in bearings 4! which are secured to an upper platform 42 of the frame structure 33. An electric motor 43 (Figure 1) drives the shaft through a speed reducer 44 and a coupling 45.

As viewed in Figure 2, the upper portion of each chain 23 is arranged to be pulled to the right by the associated sprocket 29. Rollers 48 (Figure 4) disposed over the pins which connect the links on either side of the chain ride on a track provided by an upright plate 50 which extends for substantially the entire length of the chain conveyor. A plate 50 is provided for each chain and may be suitably supported by cross braces 52 secured between spaced channel members 53 (Figure 2) which are supported by legs 54 to define a guide structure 55 having one slanted portion 55a leading up to the shakeout station, a second slanted portion 551) leading downwardly therefrom, and a central substantially horizontal section 550 therebetween. Thus, as seen in Figure 2, the chains 23 are guided and supported as they pass under the side arm 56 of the drag and lift the flask with its contents off the bottom board, which remains on the mold conveyor Ill. The chains 23 then carry the flask and its contents to the shakeout station at the horizontal portion 550 of the guide structure 55, where the contents of the flask are removed as will hereinafter more clearly appear as this specification proceeds. The chains 23 then carry the flask downwardly to the plane of the mold conveyor I returning it to said mold conveyor and the bottom boards thereon in a continuous operation.

In their reverse travel, the chains 23 are slack and are supported on a plurality of rollers 51 mounted from a frame member 58 of the guide structure.

This distance between the central substantially horizontal portion 550 of the guide structure 55 which defines the shakeout station and the flat mold conveyor therebelow is preferably about two feet, although more or less clearance may be used.

A chute 59 (Figures 1, 2 and 3) underlies the opening between the channel members 53 at the shakeout station and has a lower portion 59a slanted laterally of the conveyor to direct the sand and casting pushed out of the flask into a screening member 60. This member may advantageously be of the inclined rotary type wherein a large cylinder or drum Bl, having a perforated surface, is provided with exterior gear rings 63 which are in mesh with drive gears 64 secured on shaft 65 driven by a motor 66. With this type of screening member the sand will be worked out through the perforated surface as it slides toward the lower end and will be deposited in a hopper 68 leading to a conveyor 10 while the casting will be deposited over the end onto a conveyor 12 which will take it to a predetermined point in the foundry. A dust hood l'l may be disposed over the screening member to direct the dust to a suitable collector.

It is evident, of course, that instead of the rotary type of screening member 8| any other suitable type may be used, such as a vibrating screen type.

A preferred embodiment of the device of this invention which is effective to push the contents out of the flask as it moves along the chain conveyor comprises a wheel 13 (Figure 2) keyed to an axle 14 which is journaled in bearing members 15 disposed on the upper surface of the outer free ends of spaced pivoting arm members 15 herein illustrated as an I-beam. At the pivoting end of the arm members 18 a plate 11 (Figures 1 and 2) is rigidly secured across the arm members 16, causing them to pivot as a unit. Bearing blocks 19 secured in an aligned upright position on the upper surface of the plate 'I'l are arranged to receive a shaft 18 which is further journaled in spaced bearing blocks 8| disposed on the upper surface of a box-like frame structure 84 which straddles the conveyor mechanism and provides a support structure for the pushout wheel.

As best seen in Figure 4, an adjustment device 86 is disposed between the under side of one of the-arms I6 and a bracket 8'1 extending outwardly from a vertical member 84a of the frame structure 84. This device is effective to pivot the arms 16 as a unit about the shaft 18 to adjust the depth of penetration of the arms of the wheel into the flask. This adjusting device may conveniently comprise a fiat-headed bolt 89 welded on the arm 16 and a nut 90 which is threaded onto the bolt and is resting on the brackets 81 which has a hole through which the bolt may extend.

Thus, the wheel 13 is mounted for rotation on a shaft I4 which is journaled at the outer free end of a pair of arms mounted for pivoting, adjustable movement.

The wheel 13 is rotated by means of a chain 92 which is in engagement with a sprocket 93 keyed to the shaft 18 and a sprocket 94 keyed to the shaft 74. The shaft '48 is driven by an electric motor 95 through a speed reducer 96 and a coupling 91.

As illustrated in Figures 2 and 5, a swinging hammer I08 is pivotally mounted on a rod I01 which is secured between upright members I02 and I 03 which may be suitably secured as by welding to arms I04 extending upwardly from the channel members 53. It will be noted that this swinging hammer is disposed at the shakeout station at a point in advance of the point where the spoke of the wheel pushes the contents out of the flask. Thus, when the empty flask approaches the hammer I00 it will lift it up, and as, the flask passes therealong the hammer I00 will be tripped to strike a blow on the inner side of the flask substantially in the center thereof and shake out any loose sand which might be still clinging to the side of the flask.

It is obvious, of course, that the successful operation of the wheel 13 will depend upon the synchronization of the movement of the wheel with the movement of the chain conveyor and the molds thereon. The manner in which the arms of the wheel enter the mold and leave the mold is clearly illustrated in Figure 2. In the present invention it is proposed to use an electrical means for synchronizing the drive of these two units. A suitable control of this type is known as the synchrolock wherein various motors throughout the plant can be driven at a predetermined synchronized speed. Thus, in the present invention this electrical control may be connected to the motor 95 which drives the sprockets for rotating the wheel 13 and the electric motor 43 which drives the sprockets of the chain conveyor, and thus the operation of the wheel may be coordinated with the molds on the chain conveyor. Then when the mold assemblies are placed on predetermined positions on the conveyor, the wheel will automatically be timed with the movement of the mold assemblies.

In Figure 6 is shown a second embodiment of the novel shakeout device of the present invention. This embodiment comprises a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder I06 supplied with a fluid under pressure through an opening I01 and pivotally mounted on a frame structure I08 for actuating a lever arm I09 which is also pivoted on the structure I08 for moving the outer end of the lever I09 into the mold as the mold is aligned thereunder. The operation of this pneumatic hammer could be automatically timed with the positioning of the mold therebeneath by means of a switch actuated by the flask or the handle 56 extending outwardly from the flask as it approaches the shakeout position. The switch can be arranged to actuate other mechanism to energize the pneumatic cylinder for actuating the lever arm I09.

In Figure 7 a third embodiment of the shakeout device of the present invention is illustrated. This embodiment comprises an induction-type magnet II 2 supported on a structure H3. The magnet when energized will raise the flask approximately two inches and the impact against the magnet will liberate the sand and casting from the flask. The energization of the magnet, of course, may be automatically timed with the chain conveyor by mechanism actuated by the flask itself as it reaches the shakeout position.

A still further embodiment of the shakeout mechanism of the present invention would involve the positioning of a man with a hammer at the shakeout station to strike a blow to the center of the flask to dislodge the contents as the mold assembly is positioned over the shakeout station.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted thereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In a conveyor system for tight flask molds including bottom boards having flasks resting thereon with handles projecting laterally from the sides thereof, a mold conveyor movable in a generally horizontal plane and supporting said tight flask molds on the bottom boards thereof with said handles projecting laterally therefrom.

an endless chain extending along each side of said conveyor, and driven to travel in the direction of said conveyor, means guiding said chains in parallel upwardly inclined paths from the plane of said mold conveyor from points spaced along said conveyor from the receiving end thereof to an intermediate shakeout station and then downwardly to the plane of said mold conveyor in advance of the discharge end thereof, said chains engaging the handles of said flasks as said flasks move with said mold conveyor and lifting said flasks above the bottom boards on said mold conveyor to said shakeout station and then returning the empty flasks to said mold conveyor and the bottom boards thereon in a continuous operation.

ALFRED C. CHRISTENSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,020,746 Dehler Mar. 19, 1912 1,127,113 Thiemann Feb. 2, 1915 1,159,707 Peterson Nov. 9, 1915 1,337,268 Prince Apr. 20, 1920 1,469,888 Burgess Oct. 9, 1923 1,774,082 Camerota, Aug. 26, 1930 2,004,293 Piper June 11, 1935 2,320,797 Robinson et al June 1, 1943 

